Welcome to MainConcept AAC Encoder - Plug-In for Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder -

MainConcept AAC Encoder Plug-In v1.0.5

Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Using the AAC Encoder Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Technical Support
MainConcept Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Copyright 2008 MainConcept GmbH. All rights reserved. Trademarks are used for informational purposes, and remain the property of their owners. Depending on the software version, screenshots may vary in this manual. Dolby Digital codec manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories. Dolby and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. Adobe and Flash are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Edition: December 9, 2008

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Introduction

The MainConcept AAC Encoder is a plug-in which adds powerful AAC encoding capabilities to the Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder 3.0. The Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder software can capture live audio and video while streaming it in real-time to the Adobe Flash Media Server or the Adobe Flash Video Streaming Service. Additionally, you have the opportunity to write the streams into a file. The software has an intuitive user interface that works seamlessly with plug-and-play cameras and microphones, and compatible analog-to-digital converters. The Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder already includes the MainConcept H.264/AVC Encoder to create MPEG-4 Part 10 video streams. Now using the MainConcept AAC Encoder - Plug-In for the Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder 3.0, it additionally support AAC (MPEG-4 AAC & HE Audio), enabling you to directly create and stream Flash compliant F4V (and FLV) files that include both H.264/ AVC video and AAC audio. This renowned combination is already used in other multimedia environments. Due to the fact that Adobe licensed the MainConcept H.264/AVC and AAC Decoders for their latest Adobe Flash Player release, the MainConcept AAC Encoder Plug-In is the perfect companion for the Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder, because it enables users to create Flash compliant streams using these encoders on-the-fly. You can be sure that the files you have created are compliant with the latest Flash Player version. By using the AAC Encoder Plug-In you have chosen the latest state-of-the-art technology powered by MainConcept. After downloading and installing the MainConcept AAC Encoder plug-in, AAC encoding can be used within the Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder as an additional audio format.
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The AAC Encoder plug-in enables software-only encoding of MPEG-2 (ISO/IEC 13818-7) and MPEG-4 (ISO/IEC 14496-3) AAC streams within the Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder. AAC and HE-AAC offer a significantly better audio quality while using the same bitrate as other audio codecs, especially for bitrates below 192 kbit/s. It was developed to be the successor of MP3. AAC even offers a higher range of sample rates than MP3. The MainConcept AAC Encoder plug-in has the following features: Fully compliant to ISO/IEC 14496-3 (MPEG-4 AAC) and ISO/IEC 13818-7 (MPEG-2 AAC). Encodes PCM audio streams to MPEG-2 / MPEG-4 Low Complexity, HE AAC v1 as SBR, and HE AAC v2 as Parametric Stereo audio streams. Supports output bitrates from 10 to 320 kbps. Supports sample rates from 8 to 48 kHz.

For a detailed description of the Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder, please refer to the documentation that comes with it. The documentation at hand only gives some more information on the MainConcept AAC Encoder plug-in which can be additionally installed for the Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder. However, if you have any suggestions on how to improve the MainConcept AAC Encoder - Plug-In for the Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder 3.0, please send us your feedback to the following e-mail address: suggestions@mainconcept.com. Throughout the MainConcept AAC Encoder plug-in manual you will be guided by a popular character. It signals you when you have to pay attention or gives you some advice when we think that it is necessary. Here are the different characters and their functions: When you see the little fellow with the megaphone you have to pay attention. He gives advice as well as some clever tips and tricks for working with the AAC Encoder plug-in. But sometimes he signals also a warning for the user, that some settings should only be changed by professionals.

Unfortunately, the guy with the question mark appears only once. Well, lets say it is a good thing that he only appears once, and we hope that you will never need him. He gives you some information on how to reach the MainConcept support team.

And now we wish you a lot of fun with this manual and, of course, have a good time while working with the Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder and the MainConcept AAC Encoder plug-in.

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System Requirements
The AAC Encoder plug-in is designed to work on any PC which meets the Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder 2.5 or higher minimum system requirements (Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Vista (Business, Ultimate or Enterprise), and Windows Server 2003 (32-bit Web Edition or higher) required). The MainConcept AAC Encoder Plug-In requires Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder 2.5 or higher (not included). To stream audio and/or video to the Adobe Flash Player you also will need at least one of the following products: Adobe Flash Media Server 3.0 or higher (FMS) Adobe Flash Video Streaming Service (FVSS)

For further information on the Adobe Flash Media Server, please refer to the Adobe websites at www.adobe.com/products/flashmediaserver. For further information on the Adobe Flash Video Streaming Service, please refer to the Adobe websites at www.adobe.com/products/flashmediaserver/fvss.

To view the live audio/video feeds being streamed from FMS or FVSS, you also will need the following software: Adobe Flash Player 9.0.115 or higher required

For further information on the Adobe Flash Player and a free download version of it, please refer to the Adobe websites at www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer.

Note: The demo version of the AAC Encoder - Plug-In for Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder has an encoding limitation of 30 seconds for files which include AAC audio, i.e. after this period of time audio as well as video encoding is stopped.

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Installation

If you received the MainConcept AAC Encoder Plug-In for Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder 3.0 on a CD, follow the included installation instructions. If you downloaded it, please follow these steps: From time to time, MainConcept will release new versions of AAC Encoder - Plug-In for Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder 3.0 containing tweaks and new features. Before you install the plug-in, we highly recommend checking the MainConcept website to see if a newer version is available for downloading.

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1. Double-click on the MainConcept AAC Encoder Setup file if necessary. A splash screen and progress indicator will appear.

It may take a few moments until the installation process begins.

2 The Welcome dialog will appear on the screen. Please click Next to continue.

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3 When the license agreement appears on the screen, review it carefully, then click Yes if you agree to the terms and you want to continue the installation.

If you do not click Yes, the installation process will be aborted. 4 In the following dialog you have to provide some Customer Information, i.e. you are asked to enter your name and company name. Depending on your system configuration, you might also need to choose whether to install MainConcept AAC Encoder for all users or only yourself. Then click Next.

If you enter a wrong serial number a message box appears. You can click Retry in order to enter the serial number again. A mouse-click on Ignore will install the demo version of

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the AAC Encoder containing a 30 seconds audio encoding limitation. Clicking the Abort button cancels the installation process.

5 In the following dialog box, you can choose the location where the AAC Encoder Plug-In files will be stored on your computer.

You can accept the default settings or click the Browse... button and select a different destination directory. Click Next to proceed. You can accept the default settings, enter a new folder name or select any existing folder. Then click Next. 6 Now the installation starts. An indicator will show the installation process.

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7 The installation process will finish then. When the following dialog box appears, click Finish to complete the MainConcept AAC Encoder Plug-In setup.

The MainConcept AAC Encoder Plug-In for Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder is now installed on your computer. Now you can choose AAC or HE-AAC within the Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder.

If you ever need to uninstall the AAC Encoder plug-in, you can launch the uninstaller from the Add or Remove Programs option in the Windows Control Panel.

Or, you can launch the uninstaller by running the Setup program again.

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Enable the Remove option and click Next to uninstall the MainConcept AAC Encoder from your system. Then follow the on-screen prompts.

You will need to confirm that you want to remove MainConcept AAC Encoder Plug-In for Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder. Click OK to start the uninstall process. You will be notified when uninstallation is complete. Click Finish.

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Using the AAC Encoder Plug-In

After installing the MainConcept AAC Encoder Plug-In for Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder 3.0, you have the opportunity to capture and create AAC compliant audio streams. There are a few options that enable you to tweak the AAC Encoder settings, in order to optimize the audio stream according to your purposes. Ticking the checkbox Audio activates the audio device for capturing if it is connected to your system and supported by the Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder. When the checkbox is disabled, only a video stream is captured. Under Device you can select the appropriate audio capture device you want to use (e.g. a webcams microphone, sound card etc.). It might be possible that several devices can be connected to your computer. Under Format you have the opportunity to choose the AAC Encoder Plug-In. The drop-down menu offers two AAC formats: AAC and HE-AAC as encoding formats. The drop-down menu next to Channels allows you to specify the audio mode. The available options are Mono and Stereo. When you have selected HE-AAC, you can also choose Parametric Stereo here. In this case, a mono signal is generated from a stereo input signal. For that reason, the encoder saves the most important stereo parameters of the two input channels at every time. Sample Rate enables you to specify the desired audio frequency for the output file. Under Bit Rate you can define the average output bitrate in kbps.

For a detailed description of the Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder itself, please refer to the help file that accompanies it.

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Technical Support
MainConcept Technical Support
Visit MainConcepts Support page to find out what technical support options are available in your area. And be sure to check the Support page regularly for product updates and more information. If you need additional assistance, the MainConcept Technical Support team is standing by to help. Send an e-mail to support@mainconcept.com, and well assist you as quickly as possible. Telephone technical support is also available. Check the MainConcept website for details. Charges may apply from some areas.

Thank you for choosing the MainConcept AAC Encoder - Plug-In for Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder!

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